Bill Morgenstern, CEO
Bill Morgenstern joined Opportunity in 2010 with a remarkable track record of accomplishments as an entrepreneur, senior executive and servant leader. Bill and his team grew their rental purchase company, Rent-Way, from a single retail store in 1981 to a public company with 800 locations and nearly $600 million in annual revenue before selling the company in 2006. As CEO, Bill directed several capital campaigns, including the company’s initial IPO in 1993 and several rounds of traditional bank financing. He received the Ernst & Young “Entrepreneur of the Year” award in 1996. Recognized for his openness, integrity and compassion, Bill has served on several nonprofit boards in his community including the Juvenile Diabetes Foundation and Habitat for Humanity, and as chairman of the Hamot Health Foundation. Through the church he attended in Erie, Penn., Bill has made repeated trips to Haiti to care for those suffering from poverty and disease. Bill studied law enforcement and criminal justice at Youngstown State University and completed coursework in business management and leadership through the American Management Association and Notre Dame’s Executive Development Program.
Richard C. John, Senior VP, Finance and Administration, and CFO
Richard John came to Opportunity in 1996 following a distinguished 18-year career at Amoco Corporation (now BP), most recently as the process reengineering manager with Corporate Purchasing and Amoco Shared Services in Chicago. Prior to that, he was chief financial officer, controller and administration manager for Amoco Polymers, Inc., and plant finance and administration manager for the Amoco Chemical Company. Before joining Amoco, Rick spent five years at Price Waterhouse (now known as PricewaterhouseCoopers) as the supervising senior auditor. He was listed in “Who’s Who in Finance and Industry” and has been a featured presenter at industry conferences and seminars. Rick earned an MBA from Northwestern University and a bachelor’s in business administration from the University of Wisconsin, Madison. He is a CPA and member of Financial Executives Institute, AICPA and Institute of Management Accountants.
Dennis Ripley, Senior VP, International Business Development
Dennis Ripley is responsible for securing funds from government, multilateral and financial institution donors; overseeing Opportunity’s funding and investments in more than 20 countries; developing and managing strategic alliances with other NGOs, such as Habitat for Humanity and Compassion International; and co-leading strategic planning for Opportunity International. Dennis’ interest in humanitarian issues began in the early 1980s with his church’s sponsorship of a refugee family and his own family’s fostering of two Vietnamese children. From 1988-1992, Dennis was founding president of Exodus World Service in Roselle, Illinois, a humanitarian agency devoted to mobilizing community groups, families and individuals on behalf of refugees settling in the United States. He also served as director of program services, vice president and director of World Relief Corporation’s Refugee Services. Dennis received a master of divinity at Trinity Evangelical Divinity School in Deerfield, Ill. He completed his B.A. at Evangel College in Springfield, Mo.
Tom Skelton, Senior VP, Resource Development
Tom previously served as COO of Opportunity International in 2009, and on the President’s Council for four years prior to that. He worked for more than 25 years in the high tech industry in sales, sales management and finally as COO. Founder of Skelton and Associates, he invests in and consults with startup high-technology organizations. As the former chief operating officer of Manugistics, he is credited with transforming the Rockville, Md.-based company from its computer time-sharing roots to a high-performing public software company with more than $60 million in revenues. Currently, Tom serves on the boards of directors of several public and private high-technology organizations. He is past chairman of the Tri-State Investment Group, an angel investing group located in Research Triangle Park, N.C. Tom and his wife, Darla, have been members of Opportunity’s Board of Governors for more than a dozen years.
Jennifer Mitrenga, Senior VP, Outreach and New Initiatives
Jennifer joined Opportunity International’s Resource Development group in August 2007 as a director focused on new business fundraising initiatives. She was a founding member of the Young Ambassadors for Opportunity (YAO) and co-led the first YAO trip to Africa in September 2009. She has a background in financial services, having run a wealth management business for seven years at Goldman Sachs & Co., where she advised high-net worth individuals, families and private foundations. Prior to that, she was an associate in audit and internal consulting for Bank One Corporation, overseeing its merger with JP Morgan Chase. Jennifer currently serves on the board of Humanity Calls, the Young Leader’s Board of the Executives’ Club of Chicago and the Dean’s Advisory Council of the University of Illinois College of Business. She graduated summa cum laude from the University of Illinois–Urbana/Champaign with a B.A. in finance, accounting, and a minor in international business. Jennifer is a Certified Public Accountant and CFA designated. She resides in Chicago, Ill., and enjoys reading, running, skiing and spending time with family/friends.
Mark Lutz, Senior VP, Global Philanthropy
Mark Lutz joined Opportunity in 1989 and brings 30 years of development experience to his position. In his present role, Mark helps build new support partners in other countries, and creates strategic alliances with other international development organizations. While overseeing resource development, he grew Opportunity’s private annual revenue from $1 million to $40 million. Before Opportunity, Mark served as senior director of resource development for MAP International. Mark has traveled to more than 50 countries, and lived for 18 years in South Africa with his missionary parents. After completing a degree in music from Wheaton College in Illinois, he returned to South Africa, where he played trumpet with the National Symphony and toured with visiting groups such as The Supremes. Mark later earned a master’s degree in cross-cultural communications from Wheaton College. He has written a book entitled UnPoverty: Rich Lessons From the Working Poor.
Connie Stryjak, Senior VP, Human Resources
Connie Stryjak came to Opportunity from the GE Capital organization, where she held several senior management positions, including vice president of human resources at GE Capital Aviation Services in Shannon, Ireland. Before moving to Ireland, Connie worked for GE Capital Railcar Services as manager of pensions and compensations and served as manager of training and development. Prior to joining GE Capital, she worked for the Administrative Management Group as consultant/account manager to approximately 45 clients for a variety of employee benefit programs, and for the Little Company of Mary Health Care Systems. Connie graduated from Governors State University in University Park, Ill., with a B.A. in business and personnel management. She also has professional training and is a certified instructor for Zenger-Miller Frontline Leadership, Wilson Learning Innovation Series, DDI Techniques and Strategies, and Life Orientations.
